


Vampires

by scaredykitty



Category: MindCrack
Genre: Gen, Mages, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-25
Updated: 2014-05-29
Packaged: 2018-01-26 11:31:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1686776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scaredykitty/pseuds/scaredykitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Avidya has talked about during various streams his love of vampires, so...fic! Mostly exploring vampire!Avidya and thrall!Pause's relationship, although there will be more excitement in later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Requests

Avidya sighed, drumming his fingers against the armrest of the opulently oppointed chair he was in. He'd like nothing more then to dismiss the much younger vampire in front of him, tell him he wasn't going to do his bidding.

But then he'd have to find yet another home. And he knew his thrall would get whiny at having to move yet again. Sighing, he focused on the vampire in from of him. The young Prince had realized he had stop paying attention awhile ago, and had gone silent, waiting for Avidya to listen again. Nodding slightly, the Prince pushed a piece of paper across the table to Avidya. Avidya glanced at it briefly, bored.

“You'll see the price we're willing to pay for the problem to be dealt with is...quite good. We're even including some things for your thrall, knowing as how you dote on him,” the Prince said, smirking slightly before the colour drained from his face as Avidya snarled silently, face contorting briefly before turning away. “Mm, yes. Right. If you'd just sign the contract?” the Prince said patiently. Avidya smirked internally and hoped the Prince would have to deal with rumours of being soft on eccentric vampire elders. That would be amusing to see how this young child dealt with the issue. Nodding his head briefly, he held his palm out to the younger vampire.

He hissed as the silver dagger pricked his thumb before he pressed it against the paper. The bloodprint flashed slightly before darkening to an almost black colour. The Prince did the same before rolling up the paper, tucking it away for safekeeping. “Hope to hear from you soon,” he said, eyes distant. Avidya shrugged as he stood up, walking outside.

It was still early in the night, the moon having only risen an hour and a half ago. Sighing, he pulled out a cigarette as he got into his beat up car, lighting it carefully before starting the car up. The familiar roar of the ignition lulled him into a trace as he started to drive.

His thrall would be both pleased and very very pissed off with this new development. He wasn't sure which one he'd rather him be at this point, since he wasn't quite sure which he was. Sighing, he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel before rubbing the used cigarette out, throwing it out the window. 

The lights in the house were on, which meant he was awake. And if he was awake this early, he knew what he was doing.

Opening the door forcefully, he hissed loudly as he saw Pause was busy cleaning the place up. The native always did hate how dirty Avidya kept the place, constantly trying to remove previous meals. “Pause...” he said, voice low. 

Pause spun around, eyes wide, hands shaking slightly. He swallowed briefly before closing his eyes, tilting his head upwards as he dropped the cleaning supplies, wrist up and out in front of him. Avidya sighed softly. “While I should punish you for this, you have far more punishing things in your future. Sit down,” he said quietly. Pause shivered slightly before reopening his eyes, sitting on the small couch. 

Sitting next to him, Avidya stretched out, sighing. “We have a job. A duty to perform for the Prince. I'd like to just leave, but you'll just bitch,” Avidya said, glancing at Pause slightly. Pause had indeed started to open his mouth as Avidya talked about leaving, before snapping it shut. “Right. The Prince thinks there's a skinwalker somewhere in the desert nearby,” he said.

The way Pause's face contorted as he heard that was a sight to behold. Going pale as ice, all colour draining from him before he started shaking his head vehemently. “Oh what's that? Would you rather leave again?” Avidya said, smirking. Pause shifted on the couch, scratching his arm.

“Yes? Fuck yes I'd rather leave. I never wanted to see a skinwalker again, and I still don't,” he said, voice high pitched, whine starting to creep in. “But...” he said, hanging his head slightly.

Avidya raised an eyebrow. “But what?” he said, grabbing Pause's hands to stop him from scratching open old wounds.

“But I don't want to move again. I just want to live someplace for more than a year!” he said quietly. Avidya sighed. It was the same old argument. 

“Then we have to deal with the skinwalker,” Avidya said dryly. Pause mumbled under his breath before nodding.

“Are we getting paid?” Pause said, daring to look up at Avidya. Avidya smiled at him, chuckling.

“Yes. Don't worry about that. I'd have dealt with you being a whiny bitch and moved if the Prince had tried to pay us anything less than an unholy price,” he said. Pause blushed, mumbling.

Clutching his stomach, Pause groaned. “Do you think we can start the actual search for evil things no one should ever fucking see after we eat?” Pause said hopefully. Avidya laughed louder, standing up.

“Yeah, I think we deserve a treat for all this. We'll go to the bar,” he said, standing up. Pause stood up, almost prancing around in happiness.

“You know I'm going to order all the food and alcohol ever, right?” Pause said, trying to not smile. Avidya nodded.

“If you didn't, I'd have asked you what was wrong,” he said, the two of them laughing.

Walking out to the car, the both piled in, Avidya driving. “You'd think that in this day and age, skinwalkers would be non-existent,” Pause said with a sigh.

“You'd think none of us would exist either, but we still do,” Avidya said, chuckling. Pause shrugged, staring out the window.

“Did you try and suggest he just carpetbomb the place with fire? Coat it in a thin layer of silver, holy water, and death? Maybe just move the entire town?” Pause said, causing Avidya to laugh. 

“He would have already considered those, considering how much he was willing to pay. Although we should get some holy water for this, at least for your sake,” Avidya said, lips pursed. He hated the idea of having holy water anywhere near him, but they'd have to get some.

He really didn't want a repeat of last time.

He was too busy daydreaming of the last incident as he pulled into the bar to see that Pause was gaping at him. Turning towards Pause, Pause blushed before getting out of the car. Avidya got out also before they both headed inside. 

The bar was clean, unlike a lot of the bars they use to frequent. This one could be called almost reputable. Possibly. It was still frequented by unsavoury sorts, but at least the most recent owners kept the place clean. And Pause had said multiple times the food was the best bar food ever. 

The two of them made their way towards the back of the bar, taking the last corner booth. It seemed mostly quiet tonight, nothing major happening. They came in often enough that no one seemed to care they were there, which was a good thing. It always seemed like something had to happen while they were there.

The cute waitress Pause loved to hit on so much came over, smiling at the two of them. Pause smiled up at her. “So what can I get for you two today?” she said, trying to politely ignore the doe eyes Pause was making. She smiled at Avidya, running a hand through her long hair. Avidya smiled faintly at her before staring at the selection of drinks.

Avidya placed his order before they both turned their attention towards Pause. “I'll uhm...have some fries, and a cheeseburger, and a large order of wings, and a quesadilla, and whatever the special beer is, and anything else in the back I can eat,” Pause said quickly before smiling at her, face slightly flushed. She smiled at him, causing him to flush more. As she turned to leave, Pause buried his face in his hands.

“Please don't say anything,” he said quietly. Avidya patted his hand, smirking.

The second the food came out, Pause descended on it like he hadn't eaten in decades. Everything was gone before the waitress came with a second round of drinks, causing her to laugh softly. “Did you want anything else?” she said before picking up the plates.

“Something chocolatey if that exists?” Pause said, eyes hopeful. She nodded before cleaning away the plates. “Something chocolatey, got it. Does your friend always eat as if he's starving?” she asked Avidya. Pause blushed as he finished off his second beer, mumbling about how good the food was.

“So. Plans. We need to plan for this better then last time,” Avidya said quietly. Pause blinked, wrenching his attention away from the cute waitress, and by proxy, the cute waitresses rear that he was watching as she walked away.

“Right. Yes. Plans. Are you sure we should use uhm...the water?” he said as quietly as possible. Despite the bar being relatively empty, there was no point in shouting. Pause stared down at his glass as Avidya sighed, leaning back in the booth, drumming his fingers on the table.

“As much as I dislike the idea immensely, it's for the best. An enchanted bow will not be enough this time. If it...survived this long, it's without a doubt incredibly smart. And that means it's incredibly dangerous,” Avidya said, voice low and dangerous. Pause sighed, leaning back.

“Maybe we should move...” he said quietly before the waitress came back over, placing a large slice of chocolate cake in front of him before smiling brightly at him. He smiled back at her before staring down at the cake. “No, no. We can't move,” Pause said, voice high pitched and soft. Avidya chuckled softly.

They both looked up as the door opened before sighing. Something always had to go wrong when they came here, it was a fact. Pause started to stand up before Avidya frowned at him, shaking his head. “We can't deal with them right now. Ignore them. We're leaving,” Avidya said quietly, dropping money on the table as he stood up, pulling Pause towards the back of the bar.

They almost made it out of the bar when the shouting started. Pause stopped, glaring at Avidya.

Avidya sighed as they both turned to look back into the bar.


	2. Bars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bars and why you should avoid them.

A very tall, burly biker was currently trying to harass the waitress, and was doing a pretty good job at it. Apparently it was the petite waitress and the bartender who had started to yell at him, causing the noises that Avidya and Pause had heard. The biker had the remnants of a broken glass in his hand, snarling at the two in front of him. The waitress was backed against the bar, eyes wide but pissed off as she held a serving tray between her and the biker.

“That's that fucking werewolf that's been harassing young vampires in town, isn't it?” Pause said, voice low and angry. Avidya nodded once, frowning at the werewolf. He hadn't seemed to notice the two of them yet, which was a good thing. He really didn't want to get into a fight with a werewolf. But Pause would bitch and moan about the poor waitress for a decade if he didn't do something.

At least a decade, knowing Pause. Maybe a century.

Sighing softly, Avidya stepped forward, clearing his throat.

The man turned his head towards Avidya, snarling before his eyes narrowed. Waiting patiently, Avidya continued to stare at him, knowing the realization that a vampire was standing in front of him would eventually make it through his abnormally thick skull. The werewolf's nose wrinkled slightly before he grinned, coming to stand over Avidya. While he was still in human form, he was taller and larger than average, as most of his werewolf brethren were.

He still smelled distinctly of werewolf, Avidya thought as he wrinkled his nose slightly. It bemused him how little humans seemed to be able to smell the world around themselves. The biker reeked of werewolf, and yet a human would just say he smelled musky or sweaty.

“New around here, aren't you?” he said, trying to physically impose himself in Avidya's space. Avidya rolled his eyes behind his glasses. It might scare younger vampires who should be terrified of a werewolf, but he was no spring chicken.

Sighing softly, he removed the glasses, staring up at the surly biker. “I suggest you leave now,” he said, voice calm and flat, empty and deep as an ocean. The biker stared down at him, not quite comprehending what he had said. The biker seemed to be quite thick. That was obvious though if he decided to keep picking fights with vampires.

“You think you scare me, kid? Fuck off or I'll break you too,” he said.

Avidya sighed again which seemed to piss off the werewolf more. “I said leave,” Avidya said coldly. Instead of a suggestion, it was a demand. 

The werewolf's eyes went blank as he turned suddenly, marching outside the bar. Putting his glasses back on, he inclined his head politely to the waitress and bartender before grabbing Pause, pulling him outside.

“That's only going to work until he's outside, and now we're going to have a pissed off were outside!” Pause said with a hiss as they hit the door.

“And I can deal with a pissed off werewolf outside the bar. Not inside,” Avidya said, chiding Pause. Pause frowned at him before they both stepped outside.

Glaring at them was indeed the very pissed of werewolf. He was stalking next to the bar, out of sight of the patrons inside.

“Dirty trick, did your master teach you that?” the werewolf snarled, features melting slightly as he grew taller, taking on a more wolfish appearance. Pause shrank away for a moment before shaking himself, pulling out a small dagger.

“Of course he did. Not that you'd have ever met him, seeing as that was a few thousand years ago,” Pause said, sneering at him. The werewolf sneered at Pause dismissively.

“Have your thrall fighting for you? Pathetic,” he said, voice cold. Avidya held a hand up as Pause glared at him, about to take a step forward, body tensed.

“I could just erase your entire personality and force you to do as I say, but that is very rude of me and would be bad for the whole free will thing. So I will suggest very politely you leave town now, and don't come back. If you don't, I will let my thrall deal with you. He hasn't had a good fight since the sixteen hundreds,” Avidya said, staring at the guy over his eye glasses. The werewolf stared down at the two of them, trying to figure out if he was bluffing. He finally sneered at them before reverting back to his human form, stalking towards his bike.

“Fuck you two and fuck this town,” he growled as he took off, leaving Avidya and Pause alone.

“Couldn't I have punched him at least once? Just once?” Pause said, face contorted in anger as he watched the biker leave, slipping the stone dagger back into his pocket. Avidya shook his head as he walked back towards the car.

“No need for violence. Save your energy,” Avidya said kindly if firmly as he got into the car. Pause mumbled but got inside also, slamming the car door shut behind him.

The ride home was quiet as Pause stared out the window, still annoyed over the werewolf. Pause stormed out of the car as they came to a stop outside the house, stalking inside. Avidya sighed, walking in quietly after him.

Pause was sprawled out on the couch, glaring up at the ceiling. “Stupid werewolves, stupid skinwalkers, stupid body parts all over the room,” Pause growled as he stared over at Avidya who was standing next to the couch, staring down at him. Avidya shook his head as he pulled Pause into a sitting position, sitting down next to him on the couch.

“If you want less body parts, then you know what you have to do,” Avidya said, fangs peeking out. Pause shivered, eyes going wide. He acquiesced, turning his back towards Avidya slightly, tilting his neck.

He moaned softly as Avidya bit down before starting to suck on his neck. Avidya held him in place with both hands, one arm around Pause's waist, the other holding onto his arm. Pause leaned against him, mouth slack, breath shallow as Avidya continued to suck on his neck. Avidya tasted the bitter adrenaline still in his blood, although it was quickly being replaced with oxytocin.

“Please...” Pause said, voice faint and uneven, distant. Avidya stopped, licking the wound shut as he pulled away.

“I stopped,” Avidya said calmly, releasing Pause. To his faint surprise, Pause leaned against him, mouth still wide.

“I uh...yes. That's exactly what I meant,” Pause said, shaking himself, face flushed before he pushed away from Avidya, standing up and leaving the room. Avidya frowned at the retreating form of Pause as he licked the remaining blood from his lips.

Closing his eyes, Avidya inhaled deeply. A faint smile played on his lips as he heard Pause close the bathroom door. He could push Pause and ask why he kept refusing the feelings that feeding was giving him, but he didn't feel like another fight. There was far too much stuff going on to have a heartfelt talk about feelings, and Pause was fairly likely to glare at him if he tried. Better to let him work it out for himself, no matter how long that took.

Sighing softly to himself, he closed his eyes as he started to meditate, trying to focus on the unseen world to see if he could start the search for the skinwalker there. His breathing slowed as he relaxed, lips parted slightly as he pulled his glasses off and laid them to the side.

Expanding his mind, he discarded the patterns of those he already knew. The vampires, werewolves, and other creatures they knew and had met were examined and then ignored before he turned his attention to a faint trail. It was one of the vampires who had died, his aura faint and decaying over time. Frowning slightly, Avidya mentally followed the trail as it wandered deep into the desert. He was unsure why a young vampire would go so deep into the desert, but that was not the question for now. The question for now is to see where he died, and to find the aura of the thing that killed him.

He was so wrapped up in following the mental auras that he failed to hear Pause exit the bathroom and sit down next to him. He continued to follow the trail to a cave before his mind picked up on a new aura. Turning his attention towards it, he stared at it, uncomprehending. 

He regained consciousness with a start as Pause was shaking him, shouting at him to wake up. Pause had a look of utter terror on his face, colour gone, eyes wide. “Avidya, Avidya, what the fuck, are you ok?” Pause was saying over and over, voice so high pitched in terror Avidya swore only vampires and dogs could have understood what he was saying.

“I'm fine, what's wrong?” Avidya said as he sat upright, holding his head. 

He was not alright, his head hurt, and he wasn't quite sure why. Pause dropped down onto the couch, breath ragged as he held Avidya close.

“I came out to see how you were. You were meditating fine, and then suddenly you just....eyes wide, shrieking like a banshee, frothing, then suddenly you seemed to just passout like a coma. I thought you were dead or something,” Pause said with a whimper, squeezing Avidya close.

“I was just searching for t...the skinwalker...I think I found it,” Avidya said, breath going dark as a faint memory of what the aura looked like resurfaced.

It was like a light switched inside of Pause, and he turned on Avidya, glaring at him, face red. “You went looking for a skinwalker with your secondsight, and you didn't think that was bad? IT'S A MONSTER FROM OUTSIDE SPACE AND TIME AND SANITY, YOU DON'T GO LOOKING STRAIGHT AT ITS HORRIFIC SOUL YOU IDIOT I THOUGHT YOU HAD DIIIIIEEEEED,” Pause wailed, trying to both comfort Avidya and smacking him to death at the same time.

Avidya rolled his eyes as he extricated himself from Pause. “I didn't see it that much, I'll try to not think about what it looked like,” he shuddered slightly at the memory “and I'm sorry for scaring you so badly,” Avidya said, picking his glasses up and putting them back on.

Pause sniffled before nodding slightly. “F..fine. Sleep with me today? I don't wanna lose you again,” he said, sniffling more. Avidya sighed, nodding as they both got up and went into the bedroom.

It would be good to have Pause nearby in case he dreamed of that...thing again.


	3. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares

Rained poured down, bitterly cold and miserable on what should be a bright summer day. Avidya blinked as he looked up, staring at a face he had not seen for a long time. The tired face of the Cree chieftain stared back at him. Everything was wrong though. The place was far too small and distant, everything was so off it was making Avidya's head hurt to look at.

“You are bad luck. We should never have let you stay with us,” he was saying, voice distant as though speaking from far away.

Avidya shifted on the dirt floor uncomfortably, nails digging into the palms of his hands. “I've provided the best I could in my time here. Is that not enough to gain your hospitality?” he said, eyes flashing black.

The chieftain rubbed his face, a tired, defeated gesture. “That's not the issue. You are death. You bring death. All your kind do,” he said, voice echoing. Avidya frowned, looking away from the chieftain. Everything seemed filled with water, everything seemed damp and wet and decaying. 

Looking back up, Avidya blinked as it was no longer the chieftain standing there, but the tribe's shaman sitting across from him. The shaman pondered him thoughtfully.

“You are bad luck. You are death. But you could be life,” the shaman said. Avidya tried to sigh but found he was holding his breath. Frowning, he waited for the shaman to continue. The shaman raised an eyebrow at Avidya before shrugging. “A dark shape followed you when you came here. It came with you. Tomorrow, we will discuss what to do about you and this creature,” the shaman said. Everything went black as Avidya finally exhaled, gasping deeply.

Avidya shivered as he stood inside the cramped large tent. The natives were giving him as much room as possible as they all listened to the chieftain and shaman discussing the recent disappearances. 

“If what you are saying is true, then he should be the one to deal with such a monstrosity,” the chieftain said, anger on his face as he pointed at Avidya. The others were murmuring around him. He could faintly hear the hissing about how he had brought a skinwalker with him, that he was going to kill them all. He shook his head, trying to hear what the shaman was saying, trying to ignore the accusatory whispering.

“He can't go alone. There is no way he would be able to kill one alone,” the shaman said, shaking his head. “Someone has to go with him to fight the thing, one of us,” the shaman said, looking around the room. The room fell quiet. He wanted to shout yes, yes he could kill it himself, but his voice caught in his throat.

Avidya felt someone push past him. He tried to grab him, tried to stop him from going forward. He knew what was going to happen. He couldn't move, his arms were heavy at his sides as he watched Pause push past him to stand in front of the chieftain.

“I'll go with him,” Pause said, voice slightly high pitched but calm. Avidya whimpered, voice still caught in his throat. He wanted to shout at Pause that no, no he did not, he could take care of everything himself, but he couldn't even breath as everything shifted.

Rain was pouring down on the two of them. The feathers that covered Pause's hunting garb were limp and damp, slick against his skin and clothes. The only things dry were his enchanted moccasins and bow, glittering with life. It hurt to look at them, Avidya thought. They both crept forward, staring into the small dirt cave. 

They both saw the creature at the same time.

There was blood everywhere. The creatures blood, his blood, Pause's blood. Pause was staring up at him, clutching to him, breath shaky, faint, pained. The creature laid next to them, glittering arrows piercing it's thick noxious hide, unholy life extinguished.

Avidya held Pause, not sure what to do as Pause gasped, begging him to help him as his breathing got worse and worse, voice fainter and fainter.

And in the end, he didn't help him.

He did far worse.

He panicked.

Biting down on his own hand, he ripped open the pad under the thumb, causing blood to spill out, mixing with the pouring rain. He brought his hand to Pause's mouth, forcing him to swallow it. Pause swallowed it before gasping, eyes going wide as he fell still.

He watched as Pause's wounds healed.

He watched as Pause stared up at him, eyes dark and cloudy as he fell under his power.

Avidya woke with a gasp, staring down at Pause. Pause was still sleeping, curled up next to him, holding onto his arm. Pale Pause, tan faint under the burden of blood. He sighed, running a hand through Pause's hair. Pause whimpered in his sleep, clutching him tighter before sighing softly.

He had tried so hard to keep the mood light between them, but it was difficult. He knew how easy it would be to force Pause to do what he wanted. Force Pause to “admit” how much he cared for him. But it would be bullshit. Thralls did not love their masters. Thralls “loved” their masters the way a pet did. Because they had to. Because the blood told them to. It was already bad enough Pause had convinced him that he did want to go with him, he really did. He should have ignored him, told Pause to stay with his tribe. The blood would have worked it's way out of his system eventually. Not that the tribe wanted him to stay, not with the stigma surrounding him now.

He should never have agreed to deal with this skinwalker. He should have told the Prince to deal with it himself. He went still as Pause mumbled something to him from his sleep, nuzzling him. Sighing softly, he pulled the blankets back over the two of them before lying down again.

“You don't mean that, Pause,” Avidya said, resigned. He'd be having words with the Prince after this. 

Avidya gently kissed Pause's forehead, watching the sleeping native blush in his sleep before closing his eyes, falling back to sleep as well.


	4. Churches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I finally introduce someone else, even if really briefly.

Pause woke up first the second time, sweating under the blankets. He pulled the blankets off as he sat upright, staring down at the still form of Avidya. While he was incredibly still and silent as he slept, he was still just sleeping, not passed out like yesterday. He sighed softly, running a hand through his sweat drenched hair. He crawled out of bed as quietly as he could, leaving Avidya behind to sleep. No reason to wake him up if he managed to sleep today.

He inhaled deeply as he entered the bathroom. It was the one room he was allowed to keep clean, and he loved to do so. It smelled of soap and industrial disinfectant. Avidya hated going near the room for that reason. Not that he'd ever need to use the bathroom anyway, other than to take a short shower every once in awhile.

Pause started the shower, sending a faint spray of cold water into the air before the water warmed up. Stepping into the shower he sighed softly, just letting the warm water wash over him as he closed his eyes, mind wandering down well worn paths.

He couldn't tell Avidya how he felt, not even after all this time. Every time he tried, he could feel Avidya pitying him, could feel everyone pitying him.

Who was he to think Avidya would ever love him? Avidya had already done so much for him, saved him from death, let his stupid ass tag along on his journey, why would he love him? He was just a thrall. He knew what other vampires said about him and other thralls. They were just toys to be used and discarded by their owners. He had seen it countless times during their travels, thralls left to die without their masters help.

So why hadn't Avidya just left him yet...?

Pause sighed, turning the shower off. If they managed to kill this skinwalker and survive, he'd tell Avidya. Honest.

Maybe this skinwalker could finish the job the first one failed so he wouldn't have to.

Stepping out of the shower he gave a strangled shout as Avidya was standing in the middle of the bathroom, staring at him. Grabbing the towel Avidya was holding out to him in a huff, he wrapped it around himself.

“You could have knocked,” Pause said, sitting down on the closed toilet seat as he grabbed a hairbrush, running it through his damp hair as he tried to not look up at Avidya. He was pretty sure Avidya wasn't one of the vampires who could read minds, but that didn't mean he couldn't spontaneously learn, right? He clenched the hairbrush tighter as he tried to think of random not Avidya related things.

“You left the door open,” Avidya pointed out calmly. Pause frowned. He was quite sure he hadn't, but oh well. “I wanted to apologize for scaring you yesterday,” Avidya said calmly. Pause blinked, staring up at him. Why apologize? It was his own fault for not warning Avidya.

“I should have warned you to not go mucking around with skinwalkers using your second sight,” Pause mumbled, blushing. “I'm sorry for not warning you.”

Avidya sighed, scratching his beard. “Please just accept my apology. There's no reason to apologize yourself, you didn't know what I was going to do.”

Pause shifted slightly, hand holding onto the cold porcelain counter top next to him. “Sorry. I mean, apology accepted,” Pause said quietly. He whispered a second sorry under his breath as he stared down at the floor. “I'll just go get dressed now,” he said as he stood up, waiting for Avidya to move out of the way.

Instead of moving, Avidya grabbed Pause, hugging him tightly. “I'm so sorry for what I've done to you,” he said quietly, voice faint before he turned and left, leaving Pause standing on the cold floor of the bathroom, alone.

Pause dropped the hairbrush as he wrapped his arms around himself. Why couldn't emotions get easier after a couple of centuries rather than harder?

Pause sighed as he trudged out into the bedroom, dragging out a fairly clean set of pants and tshirt. He frowned as he heard Avidya in the kitchen, mucking about with something on the stove. He shivered at the idea of Avidya trying to make blood soup or something equally horrifying that he'd have to clean up afterwards, but he wouldn't dare to mention it.

He just wouldn't eat any of it.

Pause wandered out into the kitchen as he pulled the tshirt over his head. 

“I made you breakfast,” Avidya said calmly. Pause jerked the shirt the rest of the way down before staring at Avidya.

Indeed, Avidya had made breakfast. And not some weird blood medley, there was eggs and bacon, and...some kind of pancake with fruit in it. Pause stared at it, willing it to become some sort of terrible monster. When it failed to change, he sat down and started to inhale the food in front of him.

Avidya tapped the edge of the table thoughtfully, watching Pause eat. If he hadn't seen Pause eat before he became his thrall, he'd say something went wrong in the process that made him eat all the time. 

“So. I'm thinking that hunting that thing half naked is not happening. So we're going to split up today. I know a...mage...nearby who might be willing to help at least get some stuff enchanted. Not nearly as good as what you have, but you don't have any sort of armour. So I'm getting you that. You'll need to get the holy water, seeing as I can't go anywhere near a church,” Avidya said. Pause nearly choked on the pancakes.

“Why are you so worried about me being protected?” Pause said as he drank the faintly bloody orange juice to clear out his throat. He went quiet as Avidya just stared at him. The way Avidya was staring at him made him feel inordinately stupid. Like he was missing something terribly important.

He bit his lip before finishing off the rest of the food quietly. “Okay then. Uh. I'll go see what I can do in regards to holy water. Breaking and entering is fine, right?” Pause said, not looking up at Avidya. He didn't want to see Avidya's face again, it would just make him feel even more stupid.

Avidya sighed softly. “Yes, breaking and entering is fine, since most churches aren't exactly open at midnight,” he said, voice filled with faint amusement. “I'm going to head out now since it's a fair distance, I'll leave the car to you, I'll take the bike. Don't forget to drink before driving,” Avidya said, chuckling slightly.

Pause nodded idly as Avidya left, shutting the door behind him. Turning around, Pause frowned at the overly ornate goblet on the table. Avidya did like traditional displays of vampirism at really weird times. And one of those times was when Pause drank his blood. Since they both refused to just have Pause drink from Avidya directly, Avidya had taken to putting in this (frankly gaudy) goblet.

It was a good thing Avidya let him drink it in private, because he was pretty sure he'd just babble about how much he loved Avidya after he took it.

He picked up the goblet, drinking the blood quickly before dropping the empty cup into the soap filled sink.

He groaned as he sank to the floor, hugging his knees tightly as he felt the blood racing into him.He was in control. Not the blood. He was in control, he was fine, he was fine.

He gasped quietly as the feelings finally subsided. Grabbing the edge of the table and pulling himself up, he went back to the bedroom as he pulled a large cedar wood chest out from under the bed.

Licking his lips, he shivered as he ran a finger along the solid wood surface. The wood split and opened, revealing the interior of the chest.

He smiled faintly as he rang a finger along the dark wood bow, still new and gleaming after all this time. He hissed as it made his fingers tingle slightly, the blood he just drank interacting with the magics imbued into the wood. He shook his head sadly as he stared at the bow. He was not here for the bow today. Pushing the bow aside gently, he picked up the moccasins that rested beneath the bow. Equally as beautiful, they were covered in decorative artwork and tiny feathers. Faint drops of blood

_his blood_

_so much pain_

_begging_

_pain_

_darkness_

_Avidya_

covered the boots in a fine layer. He shook his head as he pulled them out of the chest, pulling them on. Unlike the bow, they were meant to make him as silent as the skinwalker itself, so they did not burn like the bow did. A delicate act would have to be achieved if he wished to use the bow during the hunt, which he would. Enough blood to make him stronger, but not enough for the bow to burn. He sighed as he ran a hand along the chest, the wood closing up as though there was never any opening to begin with.

Daydreaming as he drove into town, he looked up at the ornate church he found himself in front of. It had been ages since he had even walked near a church. Not that Avidya cared if he went or not, it just seemed impolite to go to church. Not that he was religious anymore. He tried to stay in touch with nature, but when nature rejected everything about you, it was a bit difficult. Maybe after this whole fiasco was over and if Avidya didn't hate him forever, he could go visit a shaman. There was a Maricopa shaman somewhere near the house, in the desert. Or maybe he was Pima...

Pause shook his head as he pulled into the empty parking lot, turning the car off as he quietly exited the vehicle. 

He had forgotten just how silent the moccasins made him, but he was glad they did. Staring at the small side door, he pulled on it. It opened, which surprised him. Even churches were usually locked at midnight. Shrugging, he let himself inside, silently padding through the halls until he found himself outside the priests private room.

“If I were holy water, where would I be?” Pause murmured to himself as he rummaged through stuff.

“Likely in one of the cabinets,” a voice said quietly. Pause looked up, staring at the man who was standing in a doorway Pause hadn't seen yet.

“Breaking and entering a church? I'm disappointed...” the man said quietly, shaking his head. Pause shuffled uneasily. Somehow, hearing a priest say he was disappointed in him made him feel bad, even if it had been about a century and a half since he had stepped foot inside a church.

“So uh. While I assume you want me to leave, I really do need that holy water before I go. So uh, could I have some, then pretend I was never here?” Pause said, shuffling about uneasily.

The man sighed, sitting behind the desk, motioning for Pause to sit as well. Pause sat down across the desk from him, fidgeting nervously. He wasn't sure why he sat down, but...this guy seemed so polite.

“You can call me Pakratt,” the guy said quietly, pondering Pause.

Pause cleared his throat nervously. “Ahuh, I'm uh...Pause. Odd name there, Pakratt,” he said, smiling shakily. Pakratt smiled back at him.

“A pseudonym if you will. Like I'm sure your name is. May I ask why you're looking for holy water? It's not something most people break into places for,” he said, leaning back in his chair, fingers laced in front of himself.

“Because I need it for things better left unmentioned?” Pause said, shifting in the chair uneasily. He really should go. He shouldn't be telling the priest anything. “I'm sorry, I just need it,” he said as he stood up suddenly. Pakratt shrugged slightly, waving a hand towards the cabinet near the door.

“Take as many as you need. And if you want to talk later, I'm always here,” Pakratt said calmly as Pause nodded forcefully, almost wrenching the door opened as he grabbed a few vials of the water, hissing as the bottles made his hands tingle before he shoved them in his pockets.

“I'm so sorry,” he said quietly as he shut the door behind him, almost running out to the parking lot as he started up the car.

He didn't realize he was holding his breath on the car ride home until he got into the door, collapsing on the wooden floor, gasping for breath. He should apologize to the priest. He had to apologize to the priest when this was over, he had to. He was just so polite, and kind, and let him have the holy water...he couldn't just...

Pause shivered before taking the vials out of his pants, placing them carefully on the coffee table, staring at them as he waited for Avidya to return.


	5. Mages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein we meet another new person who is already giggly.

Avidya sped forward on the rickety bike, carefully adjusting the helmet Pause liked him wearing. Even if he somehow fell of the bike, he could just float above the ground. Dying in a fiery crash was something reserved for mortals, not for monsters. For all the risks Pause took, he seemed to hate seeing Avidya take any risks.

Sighing to himself, the wind dragged the breath away, mixing with the cold night air. He needed to talk to Pause. Whatever happened with the...creature, he had to tell Pause. He had to try and convince him that this was not healthy, that Pause had to leave. He had to tell Pause why.

Because he had developed feelings for him over the centuries.

Being a vampire was like having everything about you preserved in amber. Like being on display for eternity. All emotions, all maturity, all cares, set in a glittering prison. 

But you could break it. You could force the cage open, and grow.

But it was slow, and painful. But worth it. Change was always worth it. It was a slow process, but he was pretty sure it was better then the alternative, to rot in the glittering prison, decaying until he was a mockery of himself.

Avidya sighed as the lights from the outer rim of Tucson started to appear in the distance. Best to deal with this mage, than to dwell on what he was going to do with Pause. Avidya slowed down as he pulled out a small piece of paper from a pocket, checking it against the house. Shrugging, he put the paper away before parking behind the small car in the driveway, dropping the helmet around the handlebars before heading towards the door.

Knocking on the door, he waited as he heard shuffling around.

The door opened partway, a pair of half opened eyes staring out at him tiredly. “Whatcha need?” the voice said, thick with sleep. Avidya shifted, placing a hand against the door.

“I was told you work with those of a...shadowed persuasion,” Avidya said, fangs poking out slightly. The guy blinked before sighing wearily.

“Fine fine. You could have called before hand, you know,” the guy said as he opened the door. Avidya studied him thoughtfully before stepping inside. The guy had long, messy hair, the hair slightly curly. He was wearing a faded tshirt with a dark black star on it, the star greying from age or use. He stepped aside, allowing Avidya to walk further into the house.

“Coestar, I assume?” Avidya said quietly, continuing to ponder the guy. Coestar nodded as he walked into the living room. Avidya followed him, sitting on the couch. Coestar sat down on the heavy plush recliner across from the couch, staring at Avidya.

“Werewolf, thrall, vampire, mage, faerie, ghast, something else I've forgotten, something I don't want to meet, or something else entirely?” Coestar said with a sigh. 

“Vampire, and my name is Avidya,” Avidya said, amused. “You saw my fangs.”

Coestar laughed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I guess that's true. It's a bit late. What do you need?”

Avidya laced his hands in front of him. “I need armour,” he said, watching Coestar's reaction.

Coestar regarded him, bemused. “I'm an enchanter, not a smith. If you need armour, you'd be better of going to a smithy,” he said, starting to stand up. He sat down again as Avidya shook his head.

“I need something small and compact that will protect my thrall,” Avidya said quietly. “I don't think he'd care to wear a suit of plate mail, seeing as he's an archer,” he said, faint smirk playing on his lips. Coestar frowned, leaning back in the chair.

“Unusual...” he said quietly before going quiet as Avidya frowned at him. Shrugging, he stood up. “I have something that might do. Might be a bit too...silly for your tastes though,” Coestar said as he rummaged through the small table next to the chair. He pulled out a small bracelet, tossing it carelessly to Avidya before sitting down again.

“...a jelly bracelet?” Avidya said, laughing softly. It wasn't quite a jelly bracelet, not anymore. Examining it with his second sight briefly he realized the thing had been enchanted with several different spells, although he was unable to tell exactly what they were.

“Yes, a jelly bracelet. Because it amuses me to think of a vampire wearing one. Although it's less amusing to think of a thrall wearing it,” Coestar said with a sigh. “Actually hand it back for a moment.” Avidya shrugged, tossing the bracelet over to Coestar.

Pulling a thin pen filled with sparkly liquid out of his pocket, Coestar proceeded to make small markings over the bracelet. Avidya watched him passively, waiting to see what he did. Coestar finished writing whatever he was writing on the bracelet before waving a hand over it, a nearly undetectable shimmer wavering over the bracelet before disappearing. He tossed the bracelet back to Avidya with a smirk. “Now I'm satisfied with a thrall wearing it.”

Avidya frowned down at the bracelet. It was now covered in tiny hearts and stars while the sparkling pink script proclaimed the wearer's love of their vampire master. Avidya stared up at him, holding up a hand as though to protest before shrugging. “So, what does it do?” he finally said, shaking his head ever so slightly.

Coestar grinned at him cheerfully. “Protect him of course! And proclaim his undying love for you,” he said, making kissy noises. A faint surge of annoyance surfaced as Avidya frowned at him. Coestar just smiled back at him easily. “You are fully aware I've booby trapped my entire house just so I can work with you surly lot, right? I fully know if you came to me, you're desperate. So you get jelly bracelets imbued with magic and an easily amused mage.”

Avidya waved a hand dismissively. “I don't care what it looks like. Saying it protects him is like saying we won't get wet right now. It could be because we're inside. It could be because it's not raining. It could be because one of us is stopping the rain. It's too broad. How does it protect him?” Avidya said, still pondering the bracelet.

Coestar sighed, leaning back in the chair. “It links the both of you. It makes him closer to you, makes him closer to being a vampire. It amplifies whatever blood he has drunk recently, basically. But without the nasty little side effects, mostly. Hmm...mostly. There's also a basic mage shield in there, but I'm not telling you how that works,” he said, smiling at Avidya as he finished.

“And this is the only thing you have to protect my thrall currently?” Avidya said with a sigh. Making the two of them closer could be so much trouble. Coestar nodded calmly.

“There isn't a lot of demand for vampires to protect their thralls. They don't seem to care about them. I only kept it around in the rare instances a lonely vampire would need it,” Coestar said. Avidya's eyes flashed black under his glasses, face cold and motionless.

“How much?” he managed to hiss. Coestar finally seemed to notice he had pushed too far. He raised his hands shaking them slightly.

“Calm, calm. I mean no harm. Free. I'd never have gotten rid of it otherwise. Consider the payment your discomfort,” he said, shrugging. He stood up, beckoning to Avidya. Avidya frowned as he stored the bracelet away, following Coestar to the front door.

“Enjoy the bracelet. If you and your thrall ever want to come over to chat, talk, discuss marriage plans, let me know...” Coestar said, grin on his face. Avidya rolled his eyes before flipping Coestar off, getting back on the bike bucking the helmet on.

“Your thrall chose a really nice helmet for you to wear!” Coestar shouted as Avidya started the bike. Avidya flipped him off a second time before tearing out of the driveway. He could faintly hear Coestar still shouting something, most likely obscene, but he was too focused on getting back to Pause before sun up.

He pulled into the driveway just before sun up, clothes just starting to smoke as he stalked into the living room, closing the door behind him quietly as he saw Pause. Pause had fallen asleep on the floor next to the coffee table, waiting for him to come home. Avidya stared down at the coffee table and the small vials on it, shaking his head slightly before he bent down, picking Pause up. Pause clung to him in his sleep, trying to nuzzle him.

Avidya smiled down at him before taking him into the bedroom, gently placing him on the bed. He knew Pause would wake up in the middle of the night because he was sleeping in his clothes, but he could deal with that himself. Pause sighed in his sleep, mumbling Avidya's name, barely a whisper before falling silent.

Tomorrow they'd go stalking the creature. Tomorrow they'd deal with the monster, so they could deal with their own problems.


	6. End

Pause woke up the next morning, covered in sweat. Staring around, he saw he had somehow managed to move to the bed, fully clothed. The clothes were sticking to him in unhappy ways, making him grumble quietly. He knew he didn't sleep walk, so why didn't Avidya just peel the nasty clothes off of him? Shrugging, he grabbed a clean pair of clothes as he headed towards the shower. He could hear Avidya was already awake, doing something in the kitchen again. A faint flicker of hope that maybe Avidya had cooked again flared up before he ruthlessly squashed it down. That was a once a century thing, undoubtedly.

Stepping out of the shower, he held his breath, hoping that Avidya wasn't going to be standing, waiting to scare him. Avidya was not in the middle of the room.

“I made breakfast again, it...Pause?” Avidya said quietly, scaring Pause and causing him to shout as he grabbed the porcelain counter.

Avidya was however, standing in the doorway like the silent creature of undeath he was.

Pause looked up at Avidya, frowning. “You scared me, sorry, just...need to breath. I'll be out there in a moment,” Pause said once he caught his breath. Damn Avidya being quieter than death itself. Avidya smirked softly before nodding, leaving Pause alone. Pause sighed before standing upright, drying off as he put on the clean clothes. Staring in the mirror, he sighed again. He needed to get out in the sun again. He looked all...unhealthy and tired. He was perfectly awake, but the damned blood made him look more like Avidya and less like himself. He might love Avidya, but he didn't want to be Avidya. He wanted to be Pause.

Shaking his head, he wandered out into the dining room area, staring at the array of food Avidya had prepared. This time, there seemed to be an awful lot more meat in the meal. Pause was slightly worried about where Avidya had found all this meat, but he kept that to himself. Sitting down, Pause started to eat some of the food.

His eyes narrowed as he realized what some of the meat was before shrugging. Luckily, being a thrall meant that he could eat venomous and poisonous creatures with no issue. As he was finishing up what would best be described as a really strange blood pudding, Avidya placed what appeared to be a very cute jelly bracelet on the table.

“Whasit?” Pause said, staring at it. It had writing on it, but he couldn't quite tell what it said.

Avidya pursed his lips, seeming to ponder the question. “According to the mage, it'll protect you. However, the mage is somewhat of a jerk, so I'm not sure how well it'll protect you. Try it on?” Avidya said calmly. Pause shrugged, picking up the bracelet.

He went bright scarlet as he read what was written on the bracelet. It wasn't Avidya's handwriting, which meant the mage had put it there. He glanced up quickly at Avidya to see his reaction. Avidya seemed calm, not reacting to Pause's sudden blushing. Pause bit his lip as he pulled the bracelet on.

Pause's and Avidya's eyes both flashed black for a moment, Pause's head swimming with conflicting emotions and sudden spikes in energy.

When the throbbing in his head finally subsided, he looked up at Avidya.

_Is he alright? It looked like it hurt. Do I need to go rough up a mage?_

“I'm fine, I'm...” Pause said before trailing off. Avidya hadn't said anything. He blanched as he realized the bracelets were letting him read Avidya's brain. That had to be terrible thing. He knew of other vampires who had killed thousands of people when just one had found out some secret they didn't want getting out. Having first line access to a vampires brain, even his own masters brain, was a bad thing. He started to pull it off before Avidya shook his head, placing a hand over the bracelet.

“Don't. You'll need it to protect you,” Avidya said, voice even. He wasn't demanding Pause keep it on, but Pause could feel the power in his voice. Pause nodded, frowning. He had to control his emotions. He couldn't let Avidya know he knew what he was thinking...or something. Both Pause and Avidya shook their heads suddenly before standing up. They both stared at each other as they realized they got up at the same time.

_Odd_

Pause bit his lip hard to stop himself from responding.

“Are we tracking it today?” he asked quietly. Avidya nodded as they both went into the bedroom. Pause had already put the moccasins back on from last night. He pulled the cedar wood chest back out, opening it carefully as Avidya watched. He pulled the bow out gently, only the very faintest of energy tickling across his skin. He wondered if maybe the bracelet was protecting him from the bow, but it seemed unlikely. The bows enchantments were far, far stronger than what some two bit mage could do.

“He's...” Avidya started to say before shaking his head. Pause glanced up at him confused before placing the bow on the bed. The arrows he had used all those centuries ago were cracked and gone. Every few decades he'd buy a new quiver of the best arrows whatever modern money could buy though, in the chance that he'd need them. Closing the chest he grabbed the quiver from the cabinet he kept them, slinging them over his shoulder.

“Do you need to do the warpaint thing, or uhm, do you need someone else to do that for you?” Avidya said, watching as Pause played with the bow, running a finger along the smooth wood. Pause tilted his head slightly, pondering.

“That would be a good idea. I can do it myself,” he said as they both went into the bathroom. Pause rooted around the cabinets before dragging small heavily beat up tins from the medicine cabinet, popping them open. He dabbed a bit of water into the dried out tins, mixing the tints until they were vibrant and bright again.

Avidya watched him paint himself silently, watching with rapt fascination. In the past Pause had painted himself for various occasions, but with the rise of modern society, he hadn't done it as often since it raised too many eyebrows. He watched as Pause carefully applied the paint in intricate patterns, humming softly to himself.

_He looks intimidating with the paint on_

Pause hummed a bit louder before putting the final dab of paint on, admiring himself in the mirror.

“Are you going to wear the feathered headdress?” Avidya asked politely. Pause shook his head.

“The feathered headdress decayed two hundred years ago because it got wet in Ecuador, remember?” Pause said with a frown. Avidya blinked slowly before nodding.

“Oh yeah...unfortunate,” he said quietly. He remembered the roach headdress was stolen and was on display in a museum in Washington, D.C. They both thought that was amusing, and had left the headdress there.

Nodding to each other, they both climbed into the car. Pause carefully laid the bow and quiver in the backseat as he fiddled with the bracelet, staring down at it. The mage certainly had an interesting sense of humour. He wondered how he was still alive if he was constantly antagonizing vampires. Maybe he wasn't a two bit mage after all.

Avidya smiled faintly as they drove out to the desert, to the place Avidya had seen with his second sight. They both remained silent, lost in their own daydreams before Avidya stopped the car, nodding at Pause.

They both stepped out of the car, Pause grabbing the quiver and bow, following Avidya as he started to follow the trail with his second sight. Pause kept an eye out around them for any more mundane threats. Avidya started to shiver as they drew closer to the cave he had seen in his vision. Both Pause and Avidya hissed quietly as the first drops of rain started.

“Bad omen,” they both said quietly. Stalking silent as a prayer into the cave, the stench of death and decay would be overwhelming if either of them had been pure mortal anymore. Dead animals hung from the ceilings, the walls and floor decorated in human remains. The skinwalker appeared to be trying to transform the cave into a proper haunt, the place smelling of venom and witchcraft. 

Avidya went still as he saw two eyes staring out of the darkness at him. The eyes glowed with anger and hatred as they stared at him, guttural hissing surrounding him. He gave a strangled shout before going silent and still.

_I'm worse than all the others. I have taken a mortal from their home and convinced him it was his idea to follow me because I was lonely._

_I pretend I am kinder than others, that I protect my thrall_

_I am a hypocrite_

_I destroyed what life he had, destroyed any semblance of normalcy._

_I took away his free will_

_I replaced whatever ambitions he had with my own_

_Worst of all, I love him_

_I love him and I continue to destroy his life by keeping him with me_

_I should destroy myself_

_Then he'll be free from me_

_He'll be free_

_We'll both be free_

Avidya blinked as he felt someone warm pressed against him, holding him tightly, talking to him, voice high pitched and desperate. Looking around, he realized they were both still in the cave. The smell of death tickled as he looked to where he saw the eyes. Silver arrows stuck out at unusual angles from the creatures hide, bloody ichor coating the ground. As he continued to come to, he realized Pause was holding him tightly, tears smudging the paint on his face.

“I killed it, you don't have to kill yourself, she's gone, it's gone, please Avidya, please throw it's power off, please don't let it get to you, don't leave me alone by myself. I love you Avidya, please don't let it destroy you, please don't let it control you, please Avidya, stay with me, please come back,” Pause was saying over and over between sobbing, clutching Avidya. Avidya realized he was holding the small silver dagger he kept on him in case either of them were attacked.

He realized he was holding it against himself, the blade burning his skin. He gasped, dropping the blade. Pause continued to sob, holding him close, rocking back and forth. Pulling himself up, he felt something plastic brush against him. Looking down, he saw Pause had put the bracelet on his wrist.

Pause stopped sobbing, continuing to sniffle as he watched Avidya sit up.

“I'm...I'm okay Pause. Why am I wearing the bracelet?” he said with a groan, holding his head.

Pause sniffled, wiping his face with his shirt, smearing the ink into an unrecognisable mess. “The skinwalker came out and was chanting something at you, and you just started sobbing and fell to your kness, and she told me she was going to make you kill the both of us, but I plugged her full of arrows. I don't think she was expecting an enchanted bow. But even when she died, you were still on the ground, and then you were pulling out the dagger, and I...I couldn't let you use it against yourself, so I shoved the bracelet onto you, hoping it would break whatever enchantment she had placed on you. But it didn't, except maybe it did and oh god Avidya don't leave me,” he said, sobbing again as he clung tighter to Avidya, squeezing him.

Avidya leaned against Pause, holding him close. “Don't worry. I won't leave you. Can't have you wandering around by yourself, now can I?” Pause chuckled a bit through his sniffling, nodding at Avidya.

Pause inhaled deeply. “I uhm. I love you Avidya. I wanted to tell you sooner, but you seem to hate the idea of me loving you cause I'm your thrall, but I swear to...swear to something that I love you and it's not because of the blood. I...I have to tell you now. I don't think I could stand the idea of not telling you anymore. Sorry,” he said quietly as he stopped hugging Avidya, looking down at the ground.

Avidya sighed quietly, dragging Pause into his arms. “I love you too. We'll figure this out slowly. We have all the time in the world, right?” Pause blushed, resting his head against Avidya's shoulder.

“Now. Let's get the hell out of here and get cleaned up before telling the Prince the next time he has an issue he can go suck eggs,” Avidya said, earning a laugh from Pause. The both walked out to the car, getting in it tiredly.

“So you're saying it's dead?” the Prince said, staring at the two of them. They both certainly looked like the had been thrown into a fight. Avidya nodded briefly.

“Unless you'd like me to go bring it's severed head in, it's quite dead,” Avidya said, fangs barred. The Prince shook his head, distaste evident on his features.

“Very well. You've done your part of the bargain, as have I. Everything I promise that can be delivered is on it's way now. Anything that was not deliverable such as hunting rights will be upheld,” the Prince said with a sigh. Avidya and Pause nodded at him before stalking out to the car.

As they got home, Pause blinked at the life-size statue of himself that was in the driveway. “What the fuck?” was the only response he was able to say.

“Because it pissed off the Prince to have to make it himself. He use to be a coppersmith, he made it himself,” Avidya said with a smirk. Pause tilted his head at Avidya before shrugging. He still didn't always understand vampires little digs at one another. 

“Well, I'm a very good looking statue,” he said, nodding at it. Avidya nodded solemnly as they dragged the statue into the house.


End file.
